The cinematograph patented by Henri Joly in 1886 and marketed by Ernest Normandin was unusual in that it used five perforations per frame instead of the standard four. This allowed frames with an aspect ratio of 1.13:1 compared to 1.33:1 for other 35 mm formats. The larger images were seen as an advantage by the exhibitors who adopted the format. The disadvantage was that they could only buy films from the Joly-Normandin company.

Unfortunately, it was a Joly-Normandin projector that was in use at the time of the fire at Bazar de Charitè in 1897, which killed over 100 people. It was the fault of the projectionist's handling of the light source, not the projector, but that, in combination with the limited availability of films, led to the failure of the format.